Weekend Box Office: Femme Comedy Bridesmaids Rules New Openers

By
Anthony D'Alessandro
|
Thompson on HollywoodMay 15, 2011 at 5:15AM

Proving that a raunchy female comedy can be as potent at the box office as those for males, producer Judd Apatow's Bridesmaids led the field of new openers. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:A gaggle of satin-pink clad Bridesmaids were powerless against upsetting Thor’s $34.5 million hold at No. 1, but their gross-out shenanigans propelled female moviegoers to shell out $24.4 million this weekend, exceeding the studio's $15-$17 million estimate. Despite much PR fanfare and red band trailers exclaiming that R-rated Bridesmaids is the female Hangover, it didn't reach that level of box office, coming in under that film’s $45 million opening.

Proving that a raunchy female comedy can be as potent at the box office as those for males, producer Judd Apatow's Bridesmaids led the field of new openers. Anthony D'Alessandro reports:

A gaggle of satin-pink clad Bridesmaids were powerless against upsetting Thor’s $34.5 million hold at No. 1, but their gross-out shenanigans propelled female moviegoers to shell out $24.4 million this weekend, exceeding the studio's $15-$17 million estimate. Despite much PR fanfare and red band trailers exclaiming that R-rated Bridesmaids is the female Hangover, it didn't reach that level of box office, coming in under that film’s $45 million opening.

However, B.O. history may repeat itself with Apatow’s Midas touch as Bridesmaids producer. His directorial debut, sleeper The 40-Year Old Virgin , opened at $21.4 million and chugged along to $109.5 million at the domestic B.O. and turned Steve Carrell into a household name. Bridesmaids could pull more audiences on strong word-of-mouth; they gave it a B+ Cinema Score (the same as Apatow’s Knocked Up, which made $149 million). And after strong supporting performances in Paul and Whip It, Kristen Wiig may be the next multi-comedic personality with a future. Ever since the film’s midnight screening at SXSW, critical momentum for Bridesmaids has built from warm to critically hot at 90% fresh. Like Virgin, which cost a thrifty $26 million, Universal also kept its eye on the bottom line with this wedding, which was made for $32.5 million. Relativity Media co-financed.

Similar to the lessons learned on Hangover, what studio execs can take way from Bridesmaids is that audiences truly respond to character-driven content, no matter what stars are attached or how genres are twisted. Two romantic comedies, Something Borrowed and Bridesmaids, bowed within a week apart of each other, but women (at 67%) chose the fresh-faced, raunchy ensemble comedy over the Kate Hudson cookie-cutter. Lastly, Bridesmaids further underscores that the future success of Saturday Night Live players’ big screen success lies in original, cutting-edge concepts, especially when paired with smart creative partners ( i.e. scribe/star Tina Fey and director Mark S. Waters’ Mean Girls, $86 million). Character-sketch vehicles, such as last summer’s bomb MacGruber at $8.5 million ( also starring Wiig) are dead.

Paramount’s Marvel superhero Thor fell 47% in its second sesh. Though not the mightiest second weekend take for a May Marvel tentpole (Spider-Man holds that record with $71.4 million), Thor posted the second-best sophomore hold among the comic book company’s early summer vehicles, filing behind Spider-Man’s -38%.

Mom and Dad were interested in watching their childhood comic-book icon Thor a week ago, but weren’t moved to join their male offspring for Sony-Screen Gems’ Priest which grossed $14.5 million. Ideally Screen Gems looks to start another Resident Evil or Underworld franchise. But Priest’s stateside prospects look dim with a three-day that is under Resident Evil's $17.7 million and Underworld's $21.8 million. Star Paul Bettany, who has been on a Catholic thriller bender since The Da Vinci Code, also saw lower returns than his previous Screen Gems Archangel title Legion which opened to $17.5 million.

The bloody thorns here for the economically-minded genre-meisters at Screen Gems are the numbers: The label spent the same amount of money on Priest, $60 million, as its fourquel Resident Evil: Afterlife, versus the average $25 million amount it typically shells out to launch a brand. Despite Screen Gems’ efforts in plugging away at fanboys at WonderCon and ComicCon, adult men showed up at 57% over 25. Critics sent this film to hell with a 20% rotten score, while audiences gave it a C+ Cinemascore. Priest generated 58% of its B.O. in 3D. Prayers look to be working for Priest abroad where it made $16.7 million, raising its global total to $40.1 million.